Healthplus Headache Clinic

Headache symptoms affect approximately 12% of the population. Not all headaches are of the same intensity – they can range from mild twinges or pressure, to being so severe the person is unable to function. Headaches are frequently an indication that something else is wrong so they should not be ignored.

Appropriate consultation with an expert is mandatory to determining a correct diagnosis and suitable management. This is where the Healthplus Headache Clinic can help.

In recent years, the advance of medical research on the subject of headaches and migraine has created a greater understanding of the mechanisms, headache symptoms, treatment options and investigations. These advances have created the opportunity of relief for headache and migraine sufferers from specialised Headache Clinics such as Healthplus Headache Clinics.

Headaches symptoms affect approximately 12% of the population. Not all headaches are of the same intensity – they can range from mild twinges or pressure to being so severe the person is unable to function. Headaches are frequently an indication that something else is wrong so they should not be ignored. Headache causes can be numerous with varying severity and prognostic features.

Appropriate consultation with an expert is mandatory to determining a correct diagnosis and suitable management.

When suffering with headaches and migraine the key to success is to form a correct diagnosis and develop a treatment plan best suited to provide relief. Should a diagnosis not be possible from history and examination, Healthplus Clinics have established referral processes to MRI, CT and X-Ray departments to provide the diagnostic evaluations required to direct treatment.

Healthplus aims to provide the most efficient treatment service to relieve your headaches or migraines.

Healthplus provides headache help through the best in: assessment, treatment and management. Our team includes: neurologists, chiropractors, counsellors and radiologists. If your headaches are affecting your personal and business life then call us now and see how we can help.

The International Headache Society (IHS) has created an extensive classification system for headaches, which is used by the majority of headache specialists worldwide.

Healthplus Headache Clinics regularly treat:

Tension Type Headache

Chronic Daily Headache

If you are experiencing additional types of headache and migraine, please contact the clinic directly to determine whether Healthplus Headache Clinic can provide treatment.

In any medical condition it is of paramount importance for the diagnosis to be accurate and this can only be made by your health professional or neurologist who knows your private medical history in detail. Only after this has been achieved can an appropriate management plan be established.

There are different options for the treatments of headaches. Often treatment includes more than one approach which is representative of the multi-factorial causes and symptoms of headache and migraine. This guide aims to briefly outline options available in the treatment of headache and migraine.

Recent and ongoing research has demonstrated the potential that disorders of the neck have to aggravate migraine and other forms of headache. Even though the types and causes of headaches can differ widely, there are some common threads that prevail that make particular treatment approaches effective in reducing, if not eliminating, them. Headache treatment, using chiropractic, spinal manipulation, mobilisation, soft tissue work and exercise, is validated in a number of research studies.

Most conventional pharmacological prevention treatment is in the form of tablets taken daily. As many of these drugs were found to help headache by chance, they are also used in other areas of medicine too e.g. mood disturbance, neuropathic pain, and epilepsy. For simple intermittent migraine rescue therapies are usually best. Analgesics can sometimes be effective but the family of drugs called Triptans has revolutionised this area of treatment over the last 15 years. There are 7 key drugs which can be taken as tablets, with nasal sprays and injection.

In cases where patients feel soreness over the greater occipital nerves, it is possible to inject a mixture of local anaesthetic and steroid around these nerves as a type of preventative treatment. The injection procedure is termed a greater occipital nerve block. As the name suggests the technique aims to reduce the symptoms relating to the greater occipital nerve which runs above the hairline and outside of the midline at the back of the head.

Another local treatment that is under review in clinical trials is the injection of Botox (botulinum toxin). Although the regime is tailored to the patient’s needs, the injections are normally given in the forehead and temples as well as the central neck. In addition to the above physical and medicinal approaches it is sometimes valuable to introduce behavioural interventions such as counselling and relaxation techniques. Botox was licensed last year for chronic migraine and is available mainly privately although you may try your local PCT(2011).

Behavioual treatments including biofeedback, relaxation techniques and conitive behavioual therapy have also shown good results with migraine and other headaches.

Elliot Hurst

When you visit Healthplus Headache Clinics you will experience a unique and pro-active treatment service with a consultant or practitioner interested in your individualised treatment. You will be welcomed to Healthplus Headache Clinic by the vibrant clinic environment and cheerful staff and receive personal attention and thorough detail from your consultant or practitioner.

At Healthplus Headache Clinic we have a Five Point Promise which separates us from our competitors. Our clinicians will always advise you of the lowest cost option for your individual condition or injury. Our aftercare service means that we will provide help and assistance should this be necessary with sequential and periodic reviews.

Five Point Promise:

1. Specialist Consultants and Practitioners

2. Clinically comprehensive

3. Transparent prices

4. Individualized treatment

5. Professional aftercare

In addition Healthplus Headache Clinic offers:

Friendly and courteous staff.

Convenient appointment times.

Prompt service, we will never keep you waiting for a long period of time.

Professional but comfortable atmosphere.

Large treatment rooms with state of the art equipment.

Convenient location.

Over a decades of experience, with patients from celebrities, professional & Olympic athletes.

Please be aware that if you have any of the following symptoms please contact a qualified health professional immediately if the headache is:

In someone very young or very old

New onset or very acute

Causing unusual symptoms

Associated with fever, skin rashes, vomiting

Associated with fainting, dizziness, or seizure

Result of a head injury

Various factors can play a role in instigating or exacerbating your headaches and that sometimes you can benefit from simple changes. Research has shown that following can be factors:

Diet

Medications

Life Style

Exercise

Self Treatment

Diet

Diet can play a part in migraines and headache. Although it can be a challenge to change your diet, if the end result is migraineand headache relief, it will be well worth your effort. When hypersensitivity foods were avoided there was a dramatic fall in the number of headaches per month, 85% of patients becoming headache-free (Lancet).

The first line of treatment is always to try and identify trigger factors, which means keeping a careful record of events, mainly of the foods that have preceded an attack. Particular foods are identified as migraine triggers in about 20 per cent of sufferers. Try to avoid missing meals and try and fix meal times. The large female preponderance within migraine sufferers points to the importance of hormonal factors such as the menstrual cycle, which are not modifiable.

The most common triggering agents for migraines are alterations in serotonin metabolism (a deficiency), hypersensitivity foods IgG (in order of the most common-wheat, citrus fruit, eggs, tea, coffee, chocolate, milk, salt, corn, cane sugar, yeast, alcohol, cheeses, onions), low magnesium levels, hormonal imbalances, histamine-induced platelet aggregation (blood platelets sticking together). Many experts suggest that dehydration is often the overlooked culprit of chronic headaches. The human body is approximately two-thirds water and high water losses can lead to dehydration. Adults generally should be consuming 2.5 to 3 litres of water each day. Drinking the commonly referenced value of 8 cups of water is the minimum a person needs each day without taking into account other factors that increase losses.

Medications

One fact that physicians often find with patients whose migraine or other headache disorders that deteriorate is the over usage of analgesics. The analgesic tablets implicated are all those used to treat the symptomatic effect of headache including such drugs as codeine, caffeine, Solpadeine, Co-codamol, Co-dydramol and Paracetamol. Over use of triptans is also a factor. Even about two doses per week can set up this cycle. It is therefore very important to discuss the use of analgesics with your treating clinician and only use under strict instructions. Most patients benefit from complete cessation of analgesics.

Life Style

Migraine headaches can also be triggered by environmental factors associated with how you live your life or natural phenomena. These can include eyestrain, poor posture, stress, weather changes, blood sugar imbalances and drug use. Other studies cite triggers like hypoglycemia, tension, depression, tobacco, birth control pills, vasodilator drugs, water retention, menstruation, wind exposure, and sun exposure. There may also be factors that aggravate migraines such as poor air, constipation, getting cold, noise, carbon monoxide poisoning, very low / high blood pressure, altitude changes (air travel), bright or flashing lights (a recent study showed 30% were in the sun when the migraine started), loud or low frequency noises, electromagnetic fields (mobile phone), emotional stress or trauma, strong odours (including newsprint), pet allergies, and others.

Some people find that a change in routine can contribute to a headache or migraine. For example changing sleep patterns or changes caused by long journeys can precede an attack. Both too much and too little sleep can be implicated in a migraine or headache starting. In order to reduce migraine and headaches it is important to fix your sleeping pattern especially during periods of increased headache and migraine frequency.

Exercise

Headache researchers are now finding evidence that suggests that moderate exercise can reduce the frequency and severity of headaches in some people. Aerobic exercise, done for thirty minutes, five times a week, may help prevent headaches. It is probable that the endorphins released during exercise tend to promote a sense of well-being and thereby reduce headache occurrence. Give yourself at least six weeks to see if there is any beneficial effect. In the event headaches or migraines get worse discontinue and consult your clinician.

Self Treatment

There are a number of natural techniques which may reduce the severity and frequency of headaches. When a headaches first starts, applying an ice pack can provide quick relief. The ice pack can be placed on the top of the head or on the forehead. Tension headaches result from stress and reduced blood flow to the brain, causing the neck muscles to tighten. To soothe the neck muscles apply heat. Applying a heating pad or taking a hot bath can provide relief.